There’s been an incident… you need to get here right away.
Every day of her working life – and many days in her private life too – Dani dealt with violence, with death, sometimes with the macabre. So what was she supposed to think when she heard those words?
Had Victor attacked? Had Curtis somehow escaped his secure hospital and restarted his vengeful rampage?
Was Ben somehow behind whatever had happened?
Dani couldn’t bear the thought of any of those scenarios. Easton wasn’t just a colleague, he was the closest thing to a friend she had, and on hearing those words come through the phone, from Easton’s number, she’d fully expected the worst. Her legs had gone weak. She’d barely been able to speak.
Thankfully, at least the officer using Easton’s phone was more with it, and had succinctly explained the situation as best he could before the call ended.
Still, Dani had immediately rushed for her car and blasted down the Aston Expressway towards Sutton Coldfield. Thankfully she was already feeling less distressed when she turned on to Easton’s street to see the flashing blue lights of two police cars outside his house, and a small number of curious bystanders, as ever when there were emergency vehicles on call.
Dani parked her car at the bumper of one of the patrol cars and an officer came to greet her as she stepped out.
‘DI Stephens?’ he said.
‘Yes.’ She held out her hand to him.
‘PC Banks. We spoke on the phone.’
‘Where is he?’
‘Easton? Or the other one?’
‘Both.’
‘Easton’s in the back of my car, over there. The other guy, Wesley or something, has already been shipped off to A&E.’
‘Let me speak to Easton.’
Banks didn’t look too sure about that. ‘I don’t know how this should work. I mean, I called you because he kept insisting, and I know who you are and everything, but right now he’s under caution for—’
‘Then I’ll speak to him under caution.’
Dani didn’t wait for another response. She strode over to the car. She could see Easton, sullen-faced, head down, in the back seat. Another officer was standing guard on the outside. Dani moved around to the far side and indicated for Banks to unlock the car. Dani opened the door and sank down into the seat next to her colleague.
He wouldn’t meet her eye. His head remained bowed, his hands cuffed behind him.
‘Some mess,’ Dani said.
Easton huffed.
‘Give it to me straight. No bullshit.’
‘She can go fuck herself. I’m done with her.’
‘Sod your feelings towards your sister, Easton, just tell me what happened, so I can see if I can sort this crap out.’
He glanced at her briefly before looking out of his window. His left eye was swollen and turning black, and there was blood caked in his nostrils.
‘She’s in there now. Lording it as though it’s her place. As though she has some right to it. She thinks she can do what she wants.’
‘Are you going to tell me or not?’ Dani’s impatience was clear.
‘You know what it’s been like,’ Easton said, looking back to her. ‘I’ve pretty much been Dad to those kids the last few months while she’s out living some sort of party-hard Z-list celebrity fantasy life.’
‘That still doesn’t explain why you’re sitting in the back of a patrol car with your hands cuffed and your face smashed up.’
‘She brought this bloke home. Night before last.’
‘Wesley?’
He looked a little surprised that Dani knew the name. ‘She’s known him for years. Wouldn’t even surprise me if he’s the dad to one of those kids. Not that he’d give a damn about that.’ He paused. ‘It’s my house, Dani. I’m not going to have my house, my life turned upside down by people like that.’
‘You got in a fight with him?’
‘He was shouting at Jasmin. Screaming at her for taking too long in the bathroom. That’s what kicked it off. Emily took his side. Can you believe it? Both of them having a go at an eleven-year-old girl, nearly frothing at the mouth. This was last night. I told them both to leave. They did. Then they turned up drunk, falling all over the place this morning. About seven a.m. Woke me and the kids up. They were arguing with each other.’
He shook his head in disgust.
‘And then?’
‘The shouting, the screaming, the swearing, got worse and worse. When I came down he had his hands around Em’s throat. So I grabbed him and turfed him out. Spent the next two hours – in between getting the kids to school – trying to console her, trying to tell her it was all right, that she needed to ditch arseholes like that. Obviously she’s having none of it, thinks I overreacted, that I shouldn’t interfere. Then Wesley comes back, banging on the door. Demanding to see her. And…’ He shrugged. ‘That’s when it happened.’
‘What happened, exactly?’
‘She opened the door to him. He stormed in, all in a rage again. He grabbed her again. I went to get him off her. And… it’s my house, Dani.’
‘You beat the crap out of him.’
He humphed. ‘He hit me first. Even if no one else believes me, that’s the way it was.’
Dani held his gaze for a few moments now. Yes, she did believe him.
‘Let me go and see what I can do,’ Dani said.
She stepped back out and after a brief interlude with Banks she headed inside to see Easton’s sister, who was on the sofa being consoled by a female PC. Dani introduced herself as a detective but didn’t make a point of saying she was Easton’s colleague, then spent a few minutes getting Emily’s version of events.
Which was much like Easton’s, except for the fact that she was a bit more cagey about Wesley’s role in the whole thing. No mention of him ranting and raging. No mention of him grabbing her by the throat, although her neck was definitely reddened. No mention of Wesley returning and storming in. Just that the two men had got into a fight. But she didn’t throw Easton under the bus completely. Perhaps because she knew if she did, then Easton would turf her out for good. She couldn’t afford to ruin the good thing she had going living here rent-free.
What a piece of work she was. Dani felt all the more sorry for Easton after having spent only a few minutes with his sister. He’d been taking her crap every day for months.
Dani was soon back outside. She found Banks still milling by his car.
‘The other guy, Wesley…’
‘Aaron Wesley,’ Banks said.
‘He was under arrest too?’
‘He was accompanied to the hospital. His nose was smashed. Blood everywhere. Possible fractured arm.’
‘Was that a yes or a no?’
‘Please make sure the officer with him reads him his rights ASAP. Breach of the peace. Assault. Actual bodily harm. Once he’s been cleared by A&E, I want him in for questioning.’
Banks didn’t look too sure about that.
‘Yes?’ Dani said.
‘OK,’ he said.
‘And please release DS Easton. I need him.’
He looked even less sure about that.
‘It’s not like he’s going to do a runner, is it?’ Dani said. ‘You’ve already got his version of events. He acted in self-defence, tackling an intruder in his own home. If you need him again, just give me a call.’
‘I should really check—’
‘You don’t need to check with anyone,’ Dani said. ‘This is my decision, my problem. Now, please, get those cuffs off my colleague so that we can both get back to my murder investigation.’
He chewed on that for a few beats, looking as sulky as he was pissed off. Apparently he didn’t like his authority challenged, but Dani wasn’t backing down here.
‘So?’ she said.
Banks reached for the key. ‘Yes, Ma’am.’